LGBT students in NJ feel harassed, survey finds

Joe Maldonado, 9-year-old transgender boy who fought to be accepted into the Cub Scouts, speaks to the crowd during the Transgender Rally in partnership with Garden State Equality, held in Jersey City on Feb. 26th, 2017.
Mitsu Yasukawa/NorthJersey.com

About 65 people rallied in Trenton in March 2017 to call on the state to adopt new guidelines protecting transgender children in schools.(Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran/Northjersey.com)

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In NJ, two in 10 gay, transgender and bisexual students said they were physically harassed.

Despite strides made to support gay, bisexual and transgender students, many New Jersey youth say they still feel harassed and unsupported in school, according to an advocacy group's survey.

Students said they had been teased, targeted or harassed because of their sexual orientation or the way they expressed their gender, according to a 2017 survey by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, or GLSEN.

The group said many students in New Jersey lacked access to resources such as an inclusive curriculum and were not protected by supportive and inclusive school policies.

"Students are definitely feeling the impact of a growing sense of intolerance in our country. However, I also think there is hope," said Dinean Robinson, the board chairwoman for the Northern New Jersey chapter of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

Robinson said some schools have made strides to be more inclusive, such as Columbia High School in Maplewood, which she said has an active gay-straight alliance club. In addition, staff members there teach about historical figures in the gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Mike Yaple, a state Department of Education spokesman, said school districts must adopt and adhere to policies that ensure schools remain secure and inclusive environments.

"All students must feel safe at school," he said, adding that the state was continually striving to improve the culture and climate in all schools.

New Jersey has, in fact, been a leader in policies friendly to gay, bisexual and transgender students.

The Garden State in 2011 enacted an anti-bullying law — considered among the toughest in the country — that requires prompt reporting and investigations of bullying incidents, as well as anti-bullying instruction and policies in all school districts.

The law was propelled by the 2010 death of Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi of Ridgewood, who died by suicide after his roommate secretly recorded him kissing another man and posted the video online.

In September, New Jersey issued guidance to schools promoting transgender-friendly policies on the use of names and pronouns, participation in activities, use of facilities and student records. One of 11 states with similar policies, New Jersey's was considered the most progressive because it told schools that gender identity should rest with the student and parents don't need to be notified.

The state Legislature also recently passed a bill calling for middle and high schools to teach about historical contributions of people with disabilities and those who identify as gay, bisexual or transgender. The bill awaits a signature from Gov. Phil Murphy.

Christian Fuscarino, Executive Director at Garden State Equality, chants at a rally to draw attention to Rep. Scott Garrett's record on LGBT issues in Glen Rock.(Photo: Marko Georgiev/Staff Photographer)

Strong policies and legislation are a first step, but they need to be backed up by proper support and training in schools, Robinson said.

"It's about making sure that information is accessible to people and that educators, faculty and staff know how make the change in schools," she said. "That comes with hands-on training and making sure students are given a voice to communicate how issues are showing up in their school."

Across the country, 23,000 students answered surveys about their experience as youth in high schools, including 425 students in New Jersey. Here are some of the key findings:

In New Jersey, two in 10 gay, transgender and bisexual students said they were physically harassed, such as being pushed or shoved; six in 10 said they faced verbal harassment; and eight in 10 said they regularly heard homophobic remarks in schools.

About half of those students reported incidents to school staff. Among those who did, just a third said they felt the schools adequately dealt with their complaints.

About half of transgender students said they couldn't use the school restroom aligned with their gender, while two in five transgender students said they were prevented from using their chosen name or pronouns in school. Another 7 percent said they couldn't bring a same-gender date to a school dance.

In the survey, 14 percent of students also reported that they heard school staff make homophobic remarks, while a third of respondents heard school staff make negative remarks about someone’s gender expression.

Only a quarter of students said they were taught positive representations of LGBT people, history and events in any of their classes.

In all surveyed states, most gay, transgender and bisexual students reported some form of harassment. Reports of harassment and discriminatory policies were even higher nationwide compared with New Jersey, the 2017 National School Climate Survey found.